Monday, May 30

(WeBLOG) A Web site that contains dated entries in reverse chronological order (most recent first) about a particular topic. Functioning as an online journal, blogs can be written by one person or a group of contributors. Entries contain commentary and links to other Web sites, and images as well as a search facility may also be included.

Although some blogs invite feedback and comments from visitors, Internet newsgroup discussions, which started long before the Web, tend to be more question-and-answer oriented (see newsgroup)."

Thursday, May 26

Everyday, I find some topic on which I plan to write in this blog, and I prepare the text. The moment I come to my desk, mails will be waiting and then the task list.Daily schedules are irritating, but, nothing could be done, as long as its the work and its what the client requires.

I made some promises to myself and some to others. I made some friends at TIG, the online community where I participate and had not yet fulfilled them. I prmised myself long time back that I would get MCAD by mid of 2005. But, not yet.

Now, apart from completing my tasks, I am working on acheiving MCAD, then, Coldfusion Certification, (aiming for advanced programmer), and then CAPM. All these by year end. I know that I need to put in lots and lots of effort and I am prepared for that.

At home, my parents are worried that I am getting too involved in my career. My friends warn me that its time to take care of my personal life also, but, frankly, I dont find any intrest in taking care of that. My parents are looking for a suitable groom and when they find one, then, the process of Indian marriage system would go.

Taking some decisions is tough and one is about marriage. So, I left it for my parents.

One thing that I am planning to do is to write some intresting stuff, stuff other than my thoughts, some thing like Rajesh Advani does. He is indeed a good writer and am sure he would become a good writer out of electronic media, if he attempts. Some may disagree with me, but it all depends on one's likes and dislikes.

I was speaking to Vinod while writing this post. Vinod is a friend of mine from TIG, and supports different organizations/causes. He is a Musician and he was telling me about the way payments are made in Music Industry. Will write about it in detail later.

Selva from Lasersoft is yet another friend, again from TIG, he is a person who has accomplished many a tasks by sheer will power. I want to write about him, but that would make a long post. I would write about him at a later date.

Thanks to TIG, I met many intresting people and got some good friends. There is a lot I need to write about them, and their activities. There are some other friends whom I met online, but never in real life. yet, they made an impact on me and my attitutde/thinking.

Time to write about all of them and would do that.

Time to leave for home and take some rest before bouncing back to work tomorrow. 10:20 PM here now and I started to write this at 4:00Pm in the evening.

Thursday, May 12

"What can you tell me about the first Ferris wheel?
Jenny
Euless, Texas

Dear Jenny:
The Ferris wheel has been a featured attraction at amusement parks and carnivals for over a century. In fact, this twirling contraption has been around for so long, it's easy to forget what an incredible feat of engineering it represented. And the story behind the first Ferris wheel is as amazing as the ride itself.
Invented by a bridge builder from Pittsburgh named George W. Ferris, the wheel first debuted at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. According to legend, the Windy City wanted an attraction that rivaled the Eiffel Tower in Paris, host to the 1889 World's Fair. Architects from all over the country submitted plans for various structures but none were thought worthy -- until Mr. Ferris scribbled down plans for a giant wheel that would spin around on its axis while carrying passengers.
Sounded good in theory, but Mr. Ferris had yet to deliver the goods. He did, and not surprisingly, the Ferris wheel was an instant hit. This article from 1893 captures the enthusiasm visitors felt for the rotating marvel calling the wheel the 'chief sensation of the World's Fair.' The most ardent admirers even went so far as to tie the knot at the attraction.
The Ferris wheel performed perfectly during its original run. It was later sold for the paltry sum of $1,800 and transferred to St. Louis. Failing to attract many riders, the wheel was blown up with 200 pounds of dynamite. A rather undignified end to what was arguably the 'World's Greatest Ride.' "

Banished Words List :: Welcome: "Lake Superior State University Banished Words List
�You�re fired!�
That�s how Lake Superior State University selected words and phrases that make up its 30th annual List of Words Banished from the Queen�s English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness.
A svelte word banishment committee, fresh from a low-carb diet, said the process of selecting this year�s words was an amazing journey through hundreds of nominations.
�We�re �ber-serious about this list,� said one committee member, who noted the committee would issue its list through a traditional press release rather than using a blog or webinar."

Dear Befuddled:
We knew that 'blog' was short for 'weblog,' so we searched on 'history of weblogs' to answer your question.
A weblog is usually defined as a personal or noncommercial web site that uses a dated log format (usually with the most recent addition at the top of the page) and contains links to other web sites along with commentary about those sites. A weblog is updated frequently and sometimes groups links by specific subjects, such as politics, news, pop culture, or computer issues.
Some people are of the opinion that Mosaic's What's New page in 1993 was the first weblog. It was essentially a list of links that a few people thought were worth passing along to others. However, it wasn't until December 1997 that Jorn Barger coined the term 'weblog' in his Robot Wisdom Weblog.
In 1998, only a handful of blogs existed, and many of the bloggers knew each other and linked to each other's sites. Rebecca Blood, author of The Weblog Handbook, notes that one preeminent site listed only 23 blogs in existence at the beginning of 1999. The media started noticing blogs later in 1999 and drew attention to the phenomenon. But it was the proliferation of free weblog-creation programs in 1999 that made blogging into a hugely popular pastime. Before this software was widely available, most weblogs were hand-coded by web developers and others who taught themselves HTML. The new programs made it easy for anyone to create their own weblog.
Blogger was released in August 1999 and was an immediate hit. This simple weblog application allows users to create any kind of weblog they desire. By October 2000, Blogger users were creating 300 new blogs a day, and the Blogger directory "

Dear Benny:
Darn you, Benny. Why weren't you more specific? As it turns out, there are several lists of wonderful wonders -- one ancient, one modern, and one 100% natural. We'll touch on all three.
The list of seven ancient wonders was meant as a tribute to man's ability to alter the natural landscape. Interestingly, as this site points out, not all of the wonders were around at the same time. 'Even if you lived in ancient times you would have still needed a time machine to see all seven.' Today, the pyramids in Egypt are the sole survivor. Sadly, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Mausoleum of Halincarnassus, and the Colossus of Rhodes have all disappeared.
While it's unfortunate that six of the original seven have vanished, the modern world has plenty to offer. The American Society of Civil Engineers compiled a list of modern wonders that represent the 'greatest civil engineering accomplishments of the 20th century.' It includes: the Channel Tunnel, the CN Tower in Toronto, the Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Panama Canal, the Itaipu Dam, and the North Sea Protection Works in the Netherlands.
Finally, Mother Nature deserves a shout out. The seven wonders of the natural world are: the Grand Canyon, the Northern Lights, Mt. Everest, the Great Barrier Reef, Victoria Falls, Paricutin volcano, and the harbor at Rio de Janero. We're pretty sure these babies aren't going anywhere. "

Dear Lori:
The short answer is 'no,' and the longer answer is 'no way.' We assembled our own little blog of blood to explain, drawing from a San Diego Union Tribune column, a posting on the MadSci Network, and several other sources.
It seems blood is composed of four main elements: red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma. And, indeed, white blood cells do contain DNA. However, most blood transfusions involve only red blood cells, which do not contain DNA. And even in a rare whole blood transfusion, no traces of foreign DNA from the white blood cells have been detected in a recipient's blood.
On the other hand, there is at least one situation in which a transplant can change your DNA. After a bone marrow transplant, the DNA in a blood sample may actually reflect the donor rather than the recipient. That's because in this case, blood stem cells are transferred. The recipient will produce blood that contains the donor's cellular elements but almost none of his or her own DNA. And yes, this would affect DNA blood evidence (though there are other ways to test for DNA.)
Then there's the even rarer case of blood being transferred due to the anti-social behavior of vampires. But that's a whole other ball of serum"

Dear Poindexter:
If you're asking about the United States, the answer is no. The U.S. government doesn't require a certain number of school days per year. Each state determines school-year length on its own.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, American schools average 180 days of instruction per year. That figure includes public and private schools at both the elementary and secondary levels.
A July 2004 report (MS Word document) from the Education Commission of the States lists each state's school-year requirements. Thirty states have 180-day school years, two have school years longer than 180 days, and 11 have school years shorter than 180 days. Minnesota is the only state that doesn't require a set number of days or instructional hours for schools. Each district can dictate its own school year.
Many countries have longer school years than the U.S. According to a UNESCO study of 43 countries, 33 of them have school years longer than 180 days. Some go as many as 220 days per year. Whether or not the number is nationally mandated varies from country to country. "

Dear Otto:
Two things all moms tell their kids -- don't smoke and always wear a seat belt. No problem on the not smoking, Ma -- but wearing a seat belt on the school bus? That's rarely an option. So what's the story? Shouldn't school buses have the same safety features as cars, trucks, and SUVs?
Well, not necessarily. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration argues that seat belts aren't the most effective way to protect passengers on school buses. Instead the big yellow beasts employ something called 'compartmentalization.'
Think back to your days on the good ol' school bus. Remember how those rigid green seats were wedged closer together than on even the cheapest no-frills airline? That's compartmentalization in action. Sitting in 'strong, closely-spaced seats that have energy-absorbing high seat backs,' passengers are effectively protected from crashes. Of course, the method can't prevent all injuries, but the NHTSA argues it's the best possible solution. Several studies have shown seat belts would provide 'little, if any, added protection.'
School districts are permitted to add seat belts to buses, but they also must make sure the seat belts are used properly. And as anyone who's ever ridden on a bus full of elementary school children knows, that's no easy task.
Even so, plenty of folks feel seat belts on school buses should be mandatory. The National Coalition for School Bus Safety believes compartmentalization doesn't protect against 'rear-end, lateral and rollover collisions.' And they contend that seat belts are affordable, even for cash-strapped school districts. "

Dear Cory:
OK, first off, can we all agree that moms, firefighters, and teachers are not superheroes? Sure they're great, but they don't don capes and assume secret identities. So let's take a cheese-free approach to the question. Surprisingly, even with our cold-hearted restrictions, the answer is still 'yes' -- more than a few 'normal folks' have tried their hands at masked avenging.
The most famous real world hero is probably Angle-Grinder Man from the U.K. His mission is simple -- to help distressed motorists remove the dreaded 'boot' from their cars. Those whose cars are being held captive by the government only need call the man, and he quickly appears in costume, ready to free the ride with his enchanted tool belt. Not exactly legal, but hey, Batman doesn't always play by the rules, either.
While he's arguably the most celebrated, there are others -- for example, Terrifica. Dressed in scarlet spandex and a Valkyrie-style bra, this New Yorker has sworn an oath to make sure women who've had too much to drink aren't taken advantage of. With a blinding flash of crimson, she storms bars, tells preying Casanovas to scram, and walks the drunken damsel in distress home so she might live to drink another day.
Other masked wonders include the snow-shoveling Polarman and Superbarrio, possibly the first social activist who wishes to remain anonymous.
While few have actually witnessed these heroes out prowling the streets, their legends still cast an impressive shadow. Criminals and metermaids beware! "

Thursday, May 5

Laughter is Good For Us: "Laughter is Good For Us
Intuitively, we know that laughter is good for us. Think for a moment how your body feels whenever you laugh or smile - words like �relaxed�, �warm�, �whole�, �free� and �light-hearted� often come to mind. Trust your inner-tuition! Laughter, happiness and a joyful heart really do offer a medicinal, therapeutic touch. It is as if health, happiness, humour and a sense of wholeness are a wonderful string quartet that plays a healing harmony and a marvellous melody. "

I felt like I was under stress, considering the way I am behaving with others over the past few days. I dont smoke or drink for someone to give me an advice for doing that. They are a strict NO for me.

I was searching for some good ways through which I can feel relaxed. And I came across this.

This is indeed a good site and we can get a lot of resources for daily routine at office.

btw, I realised that if I can bring that lost smile back onto my face, I can feel relaxed. but, to deal with people and release the stress, let me find out a way

Monday, May 2

Who is the highest-ranking female official in the Catholic Church?: "Dear Yahoo!:
Who is the highest-ranking female official in the Catholic Church, and what is her title?
Timothy
San Diego, California
Dear Timothy:
Bishops, archbishops, and cardinals traditionally fill the Vatican's most important roles. Because women can't be ordained priests in the Catholic Church, the hierarchy's top positions aren't available to them. About 400 women work at the Vatican, but the majority of them are in administrative or clerical positions. In the U.S., about 48% of the administrative diocesan jobs are held by women.

So are any women near the top? A few. Mary Ann Glendon has been called 'the highest-ranking woman in the Catholic Church' by one archbishop. Glendon is a Harvard law professor, and in 2004, Pope John Paul II appointed her president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. This group studies economics, sociology, law, and political science to help the pontiff develop the church's social doctrines. Many consider Glendon to be the highest-ranking female adviser in the Catholic Church.

The most senior nun is probably Sister Enrica Rossana. In 2004, she became the third-ranking official in the Vatican office governing men and women in religious orders. No woman had held this post since it was created in the 16th century.

Also in 2004, the first-ever female theologians were appointed to the Vatican's International Theological Commission. Sister Sara Butler and Barbara Hallensleben are members of the most important theology group in Rome, one which former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, presided over for more than two decades."